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El Gato Malo fell from the ranks of the undefeated when he could not catch Colonel John in the Sham (gr. III). But, Colonel John had a better trip in that one and it is too early to count El Gato Malo out. By El Corredor out of a Mountain Cat mare, El Gato Malo does not have a traditional mile and a quarter pedigree, but he has shown the abiltity to rate and turn his speed on when asked, attributes which are helpful in a crowded Derby field. In his most recent race, the Santa Anita Derby, he ran a disappointing fifth as the 9-5 favorite while never really getting into the race.

Auction History

Year	Sale	Price
2006	Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale	$95,000

Racing History

Date	Race Name	Distance	Finish	Earnings
04/05/08	Santa Anita Derby (gr. I)	9f	5	$15,000
03/01/08	Sham Stakes (gr. III)	9f	2	$40,000
01/12/08	San Rafael Stakes (gr. III)	8f	1	$90,000
12/15/07	Gold Rush Stakes	8f	1	$45,000
11/18/07	MSW	6f	1	$25,200
Record: 5 Starts, 3-1-0 | Total Earnings: $215,200
Race Records provided by equineline.com

By Steve Haskin

Once again we come to a California horse that has raced and trained over nothing but synthetic surfaces and is totally unfamiliar with the concept of dirt. So, like Colonel John and others, he'd better high-tail it to Churchill Downs after the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) and get at least one work in over the dirt, preferably in company, with that foreign substance getting kicked back in his face. He may take to it fine, but we won't know for sure until about the quarter pole May 3.

With that said, there is no doubt he is a talented, brilliant colt, at least in his own realm, which is all we can go by at this point. After blowing away his opposition in his first three career starts with an impressive burst of speed, El Gato Malo ran a game second to Colonel John in the 1 1/8-mile Sham Stakes (gr. III). Some felt he may have been best that day after getting stuck behind horses along the inside, then pulling out several paths wide, losing valuable momentum at a crucial point. He challenged Colonel John, who had gotten the jump on him after an agonizingly slow pace, but couldn't pass him in a swiftly run final three-eighths.

Others felt he had every chance to catch the winner, but when a horse like Colonel John comes home his final three-eighths in :35 3/5, and you close your final eighth in :11 3/5, there isn't much more you can do. Colonel John had the trip and El Gato Malo didn't, pure and simple.

El Gato Malo's pedigree is questionable at 1 1/4 miles, so his half-length defeat in the Sham to a top-class colt actually was a positive sign that perhaps he can stretch out another eighth effectively.

By Avalyn Hunter

"Sometimes, bad is bad," ran the lyrics of a 1982 song by the popular rock group Huey Lewis and the News. As the song went on to illustrate, sometimes "bad" is used colloquially to mean "really good," and sometimes it means just plain "bad," depending on the context.

In the case of San Rafael Stakes (gr. III) winner El Gato Malo (whose name means "the bad cat" in Spanish), "bad" is turning out to mean "really good." The gelding is from the third crop of 2000 Cigar Mile Handicap (gr. I) winner El Corredor, also the sire of Puerto Rican champion juvenile male El Viento and grade I winners Adieu and Dominican. El Corredor is by the speedy Gone West horse Mr. Greeley out of the Silver Deputy mare Silvery Swan, also the dam of 2005 Haskell Invitational Handicap (gr. I) winner Roman Ruler and 2001 Reeve Schley Jr. Stakes (gr. IIIT) winner Silver Tornado.

El Gato Malo is the third foal of One Bad Cat, whose previous foals are the stakes-placed El Corredor filly Cotton Bay and the winning Yankee Victor colt One Good Yank. A winner of two of her six starts, One Bad Cat is by Mountain Cat, a multiple graded stakes-winning son of Storm Cat who is now at stud in Turkey.

A half-sister to 1996 Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II) winner Jamies First Punch (by Fit to Fight), One Bad Cat was produced from Stedes Wonder, a stakes-winning daughter of Native Royalty. A multiple stakes-winning son of Raise a Native and the Nasrullah mare Queen Nasra, Native Royalty was bred along similar lines to Mr. Prospector (Raise a Native-Gold Digger, by Nasrullah's son and Horse of the Year Nashua).

El Gato Malo is among the crowd of Derby candidates whose pedigrees seem to point to eight or nine furlongs as being more favorable than 10. One never knows what genetic elements will come to the fore from a given mating, however, and given the class, speed, and determination that he has already shown, it would definitely be premature to count him out of the classic picture.

By Jason Shandler

For most people it takes decades of hard work and racing luck just to get a chance at making it to the Breeders' Cup. And even then there are no guarantees of winning.

For Craig Dollase, it took less than four years to accomplish what most horsemen can only dream.

In 1998, at the age of 27, Dollase became the youngest trainer to win a Breeders' Cup race when 3-year-old gelding Reraise powered home by two lengths in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) at Churchill Downs. The victory jump-started Dollase's career, and 10 years later the trainer does not take for granted what it meant.

"I was very fortunate to have that horse," he said. "It got me some recognition, and helped my confidence. I thought everything would be easy after that. I learned quickly that it doesn't work that way.

"It was a great experience, and looking back I guess I was like a deer in the headlights. I hadn't been out on my own long, so it was a big boost as far as getting me more clientele."

There was never any doubt about what path Dollase's career would take, as he grew up following around his father, Wally, a successful trainer on the Southern California racing circuit. Raised on Rancho Rio Vista, a 150-acre farm on the Salina River near Atascadero, Dollase learned everything he needed to know about horses, including learning to break them at a young age.

"I followed my dad everywhere," Dollase said. "I've never worked for anyone else. That's what happens when you're from a family with a racing background. I learned all aspects of the game from him. I never wanted to do anything else."

Dollase began working as an assistant to his father as a teenager and helped train Wally's first Kentucky Derby (gr. I) starter, Momentus, in 1987. Craig Dollase took out his own license in 1995, but continued to work with his father's Horizon Stable as they entered their second Derby starter, Alyrob, in 1996.

That Derby experience would pay off less than a decade later when Dollase took over training duties for J. Paul Reddam and Susan Roy's Wilko. A son of Awesome Again, Wilko won the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) for trainer Jeremy Noseda, and was transferred into Dollase's barn during his sophomore campaign.

Though Wilko did not win the 2005 Derby, Dollase took away a lot from his first classic entry.

"That was a great experience," Dollase said. "He was a nice horse. He almost won the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I, third by a half-length), and he was a credible sixth in the Kentucky Derby, even though we found out later that he bled. It was a great run with him. We got to the 'Big Dance' and it gave me experience so that I'll know the ropes for next time."

The "next time" may be this year with West Point Thoroughbreds' El Gato Malo. A winner of three of four starts, and with $130,000 in graded earnings to his credit, the son of El Corredor has stamped himself as a legitimate 3-year-old contender. He will get his final Derby tune-up in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby April 5 before heading to Churchill Downs.

"We're hoping he'll take another step forward in the Santa Anita Derby," Dollase said. "He's proved that he can handle the distance, but he is still a little green. He has some learning to do, but he is training great. Our goal is to come into the Kentucky Derby with a sound horse, and then we'll find out if he's good enough."